Inevitable
by Keva08
Summary: All things are inevitable- death being the ultimate. But when Death take's offense to the mad Titan's plans, it comes up with a plan of its own and may just be able to give it's Mistress her happily ever after.
1. Chapter 1

The word that came to mind was peaceful. Not a word it chose to use often but there was no other word for it. The peace that hung in the air wrapping around it like a blanket was comforting and it was loathed to disturb it. But it had waited as long as it dared, hoping it would be enough to give it's Mistress even a small reprieve for all that had befallen her and what was to come.

Never it all its existence had it met a being like her. She was truly one of a kind because after everything that fate and destiny, hell everything it had thrown at her, she was still the same beautiful, merciful, and kind soul that it was honored to call it's Mistress.

It had hoped that after everything she had lost, everything she had gained only to lose again, she would find some healing in this peaceful place. It could hear the shrieks of laughter coming from inside the home, the warmth of a happy soul, but that unfortunately was not it's destination. No it turned from the shelter it's Mistress called home and from the happiness radiating from inside and moved toward the lone figure sitting by the water.

It didn't announce its presence for his Mistress always knew when it was close. No it would allow her these last few precious seconds of peace and silence. It was all it could offer her for the moment, the peace of this place and a presence to let her know she wasn't alone.

"It's time."

It was spoken softly barely above a whisper but it could hear the sadness, loneliness, and resignation in those two words. It had tried to shield her from what was to come but she even as she was now, always knew something was coming on the horizon.

It looked to the child, no more than five years of age, that sat with its toes in water and hoped that after everything came to pass that the fates would finally leave her alone and let her be happy. And if they didn't, it would strike them down itself. It's Mistress was strong and brave and would help those in need even if it cost her everything and it had, oh it had. She had lost the world and everything she held dear to her heart and yet the fates were asking her to do it all over again. No, it would help it's Mistress do the fates bidding one more time but this was the final last request they would make of her, it would make sure of it. She deserved that after everything and for what they were asking her to do.

It watched as she stood, taking one final deep breath, before she turned to take one final look at the beautiful cabin she called home these last five years, and where two of her most favorite people in the world were currently having a water fight. With one final nod of her head, it knew she was ready and it gently placed it hand on her small shoulders.

Author's Note:

The characters and worlds belong to their rightful owners and creators. I am not making any money off this- I only wanted to play in their sandboxes for a while.

Hey everyone- let me know what you think. This will be a two-shot - cookies for anyone who can figure out where they are going.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tony**

Of all the ways this day would end- this is not how he had pictured it. Sure they probably had a 0.000002% chance of winning but he never thought of anything other than winning and then returning to the peaceful life with his girls. All three of them, Pepper, his beautiful wife, who always gave him something to come back to. And then there was his beautiful twin munchkins, the lights of his life, his greatest accomplishment, his legacy. He had promised them he would come home and they would have hot chocolate. He never in his whole life wanted to keep a promise more than right now, but in order to make sure his munchkins were safe and had a future, he wouldn't be able to be a part of it.

He could feel the Stones' power coursing up his arm and he knew more likely than not this would be his last act but not as Iron man or even as the great Tony Stark, no his last act would be of a father protecting his daughters. His beautiful, spunky, too smart for their own good daughters, who deserved to have a future and accomplish their hopes and dreams.

So when that great purple bastard turned and uttered those words, "I am inevitable." All he could picture was those twin shining smiles and the pure laughter of his girls. This would be for them, the final act of Tony Stark, the Merchant of Death, Iron Man, billionaire, Ex-play boy, philanthropist, husband, and father, would be to make sure the Mad Titan and his army would never be able to touch his girls.

**Rhodey**

When he had befriended Tony Stark all those years ago and if someone would have asked where he would be in twenty years- fighting aliens hell bent on destroying the universe would not have even made it to the top 200 of the list. It had always been an adventure being one of Tony's family, because after everything they had gone through together, even before the whole mess of Afghanistan and Iron Man started, Tony was that little brother you couldn't help but love and want to strangle at the same time.

He blasted two of the ugly creatures away from him, when he saw it- Thanos had the gauntlet and Danvers was doing her best to stop him. His sensors alerted him to the incoming enemy and he was distracted for a few precious seconds- when he looked back the purple bastard was raising his hand, getting ready snap his god damned fingers. He was paralyzed for a split second because there was nothing he could do- they had fought so hard, lost so much, and in the end it wouldn't make a difference- it had been all for nothing. They were going to lose.

That split second passed and then his brother, his god damned brilliantly stupid brother did the stupidest and bravest thing he could have ever done. He watched as Tony threw himself at their greatest enemy and try to get the gauntlet off- he had no idea what had possessed Tony to do it because if Danvers couldn't get the damn thing off how was Tony supposed to. Desperate times called for desperate measures and they were desperate. He watched at Thanos flicked his wrist and Tony went flying, landing in a heap ten feet away.

He watched and all his hope faded as the Mad Titan raised his hand and uttered soul crushing words, "I am inevitable."

**Doctor Strange**

All he could do was watch because in the end this was the only way they could possibly win. Everything came down to this one moment this one choice - and to all the gods and powerful beings in the universe, he hoped Stark was strong enough to make it.

He watched as the realization of what Stark would have to do dawned on him. The look of devastation that quickly changed to determination made him admire the man all the more. Because the man was brilliant enough to realize that this was the only way to stop Thanos. There was no way out for him if he did this and yet he watched as the Iron Man threw himself at the Mad Titan and took the Infinity Stones.

He could do no more now but hold back the water and watch the final act of a heroic man.

**Death**

The scene on which they came upon next was the exact opposite of what they had left, the amount of chaos and destruction that surrounded it and it's Mistress was on a scale few had ever witnessed. It was a sad day indeed when his little Mistress didn't blink at devastation before her.

"I am inevitable."

The words spoken by a being that thought it had the right to command the universe and make it bow to his will. That he could master death and bring balance, funny thing about Death, it doesn't like to be told what to do.

It watched as the Mad Titan snapped his fingers in victory. The child beside it remain motionless, for this was not why she was here- the Fates had given this universe one chance to win, to prove it deserved to remain. No, it's Mistress was there as the Fates' witness and because of that she would have to watch yet another one of the people she loved die in front of her, to die for her.

It never in all its time reaping souls had ever wanted to reap a soul more deserving of eternal torment than the soul of the Mad Titan- not just for all the pain and suffering he had caused billions of other souls, no because it, in that very moment, was watching a little girl witnessing her father's death.

It had always held a special place for the one who so many others had named it's Merchant. That is why it had entrusted its Mistress to him, for after everything it's Merchant did, he was still a good man. A man who worked night and day to make up for sins real or imagined. A man who right now was staring Death in the face and all he could think about was his daughters and their future.

The pain it was sure was excruciating for no mortal being was ever supposed to possess an Infinity Stone, let alone all six. And yet it and it's Mistress had to watch as the power from the Stones crawled its way up the Merchant's arm, destroying the body of the man who would save this world, this universe for no other reason than his daughters might live, grow, and have a future. There was no purer emotion than love- and for a second time in her lives his Mistress was the recipient of that emotion and it would cost her everything.

Author's Note:

The characters and worlds belong to their rightful owners and creators. I am not making any money off this- I only wanted to play in their sandboxes for a while.

So this little two shot is no longer a two shot- I just kept writing, thinking I would be finished and then everyone had something to say or do. Please Review- lets me know if all the time listening to the voices is worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tony**

He in all years never thought a snap would be so satisfying, so sue he if he had added a little flare to the end, it seemed only fitting so remind the bastard who had finally defeated him.

The look of bafflement and then defeat on the Titan's face as they both watch his army turn to dust was well worth the price he had to pay, he just wished he could kiss his girls one more time.

He watched as the defeated Titan sat and took in the world around him, then bowed his head, and turned to dust. The most feared being in the universe was gone, defeated by a rag-tag group of survivors, no small amount of dumb luck, and an idiot willing to snap his fingers.

He managed to get to his feet, but he knew he wouldn't get every far. He felt like he had been electrocuted, deep fried, and then stomped on by the Hulk. Which if he considered how today went that is pretty much what happened just maybe not in that order.

He staggered to his left hoping the rubble would give him some stability, but when he finally got there, all he wanted to do was sit down and rest, and that's what he did. Because after the day he had he deserved a little rest.

He knew he was in bad shape, his chest was on fire, and he was pretty sure his right arm was useless, oh and the small fact he was slowly losing sight of everything around him- yeah that was never a good sign.

He felt the large hand touch his face before he got himself to focus on the face of his best friend, his brother. One of the few men in this world he would willing call that- a man who was currently looking at him with such pride that it almost hurt and he really wanted to tell him to buzz off- cuz he was killing the mood.

The Kid came next and the words were starting to blur together-but that didn't matter because the Kid was here and he was going to be alright.

Black was creeping farther into his vision but he could see the Kid move off and his beautiful wife take his place. She laid her hand on his chest and all he could muster was a "Hey, Pep" and a small Stark smirk when he heard Friday give her final verdict. She just smiled at him and he saw the tears gathering in her eyes.

He had nothing left to give so all he could do was wait for the end and know that he wasn't alone. For so long, he thought he would remain that way but then Rhodey, Happy, Pepper, the Kid, the Twins, and hell even all the rag-tag team the one-eyed pirate had put together had come to mean more to him than he ever thought possible.

Movement over Pepper's left shoulder caught his eye- and he could have sworn he saw a figure dressed in a black cloak with a scythe in its hands, but didn't really matter, no what really mattered was the small figure standing at its side staring straight at him with tears running down her perfect cheeks. But that couldn't be real right, his five year old daughter could not be standing in the middle of a war zone and staring at him, it was just his brain playing tricks on him in its last few moments of use.

"Tony, look at me," Pepper called to him and who was he to refuse his wife's call. His strong, brave wife who was trying to hold it together for him and it was tearing what little he had left up. Then she said the words he didn't know he needed to hear, "We're going to be okay."

He merely blinked at her and then tried to focus back on the illusion of his daughter standing not twenty feet from him. He finally focused on her, trying to memorize her face, when he heard, "you can rest now," and watched as his daughter slowly nodded her head. And then he could let go because he knew it was okay to do so, they would be alright, they all would be. Looking at his daughter and seeing the pride and love in her eyes, Tony Stark was finally able to rest.

**Death**

As Tony Stark took his last breath, its Mistress let out an agonized howl. She had not moved a muscle in the whole time they had watched her father sacrifice himself, she had made no noise but it knew there were tears falling from her emerald eyes as they watched her family comfort the dying hero, and last but certainly not least its Mistress helped her father find peace in his last few moments by giving only a simple nod of reassurance that she, her sister, and their family would be alright.

If it had flesh it was certain its skin would be crawling at the sounds its Mistress was making but it could not blame her and as much as it wished it could not help her. Death was inevitable and Tony Stark had died saving those he loved.

It's Mistress's task was done, the Fates had their answer, and all it could do was watch as it's Mistress's world fell apart again. This world and universe would move on, be forever grateful, but they would move on with their lives, but the world of its Mistress would be forever darkened at the loss of her father. The Fates were cruel to their champions, even after everything its Mistress had lost and sacrificed, so much more than anyone else - they still asked for more, why were those destined for greatness the ones who sacrificed the most.

It was just about to take its Mistress back to her home, hoping leaving this place of destruction and loss would help, though it knew nothing would. When the Infinity Stones began to glow on their own from where they were still nestled in the ruined glove of Tony Stark.

Death watched in interest as one by one the Stones released themselves and moved almost hesitantly towards its Mistress. It knew the Stones were aware, each having its own consciousness, but it had never seen them do anything like this before and to its great amusement it seemed its Mistress wanted nothing to do with them.

"Piss off." Its Mistress's British was showing in full force as the Stones started to circle her, almost like they were trying to figure her out. It wished them luck, it had taken over a millennia for its Mistress to stop surprising it at every turn and she still managed to do it when she put her mind to it.

**Pepper**

He was gone and it felt like her heart was being ripped out. And all she wished for was one more second, one more minute with him to tell him she loved him, to tell him she was proud of him, to tell him that she wasn't angry he was leaving them, that she understood. But she didn't have the time because he was gone.

She placed a kiss on his cheek and bowed her head not willing to part with him but she couldn't bring herself to see his empty eyes. Those eyes that had drawn her in the first time they met with their intelligence and the vast loneliness she saw - that had slowly disappeared as he and then they built their family around them. The family that had learned to love, learned to forgive, and finally learned of loss together. The family that came together despite their differences to fight and protect the world and the universe that her daughters now lived in. The family that surrounded her now in silent support and comfort, the family that would come together to mourn not just the man that she loved, but for all those they had lost.

She knew she needed to move- they had to organize, to figure out what to do next, but she just couldn't, she didn't think she had the strength right now for that.

The glow for the purple stone, the power stone, if she remembered correctly caught her attention first. It seemed to be growing brighter with each passing second, the Tesseract was next glowing brighter as it pulsed next to its siblings. She moved back and gasped as the power stone seemed to release itself from Tony's glove and hover in the air for just a moment before moving off. She felt arms around her shoulders are she was hauled out of the way as two more stones followed the power stone. She and the others moved back, having seen the destruction even one of the Stones could cause, none wanted to caught in the crossfire.

**Doctor Strange**

He had kept his distance, not wanting to intrude. They had done it, more specifically Tony Stark had done it. And now all that was left was the payment due - and it was costly. He could see the others gathering around, he could hear the frantic babbling of the Spiderling, he watched as the redhead that had been accompanying Stark in the park move to kneel closer to the dying man. There was nothing any of them could do but watch and wait.

As Tony Stark took his last breath, it seemed like the whole world stood still just for a moment and for a split second he heard a great agonized howl being unleashed. He turned away feeling no small part guilty for his role in what happened.

He spun quickly at the gasp and frantic movement behind him, only to watch as the power stone, followed by the space stone, and realty stone floated toward an open space in the rubble not twenty feet away from them. The mind stone and time stone followed quickly after and finally the soul stone followed its siblings as they slowly seemed to be orbiting the small area, almost like they were being drawn to an invisible object.

Hey everyone- please let me know what you think so far.

The characters and worlds belong to their rightful owners and creators. I am not making any money off this- I only wanted to play in their sandboxes for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**Captain America**

What now, what more do they have to give? That was all he could think as they all turned to face the new threat, whatever it was. Could they not have a little peace, time to recover, time to mourn. But it seemed God, the devil, and all beings in between had no care for the sacrifices made, the lives lost.

They watched as the Stones seemed to move in almost lazy patterns circling one center point in the clearing of rubble twenty feet to their left. He could see Danvers, T'Challa, and Hawkeye taking up position on the other side of the clearing. All looked exhausted but ready to face whatever was coming their way.

They watched as the Stones final came to a stop, seeming hovering four feet off the ground in a circle. It was as if they were waiting for something, what he couldn't begin to guess.

**Death**

It probably should have anticipated the Stones taking an interest in its Mistress, after all they knew why she was there. It always was fascinated how other powerful entities seemed to be drawn to her, the Fates being the first after itself.

It watched as they came to a stop, creating a perfect circle around her. Its Mistress slowly turned in a circle, taking in each Stone on its own, before turning her gaze back to it, a look of pure irritation on her face.

"Make them go away!" She demanded to it as she ducked out of the circle and started to make her way towards her mother.

**Hawkeye**

After all the weird shit he had seen in his time, watching a five year magically appear on a battlefield probably wouldn't have broken the top ten, except when said five year old seemed to have the Infinity Stones follow after her like lost puppies. They all watched as the girl marched her way over towards Pepper only to pause halfway to her, seeming sensing she was being followed.

She spun on her toes and the look of pure loathing she gave the Stones, would have made the Hulk stop in his tracks.

"I said go away! Haven't you done enough!"

**Pepper**

She almost couldn't comprehend the sight before her, her sweet five year old daughter was here on the battlefield, not at home with Happy and her sister like she should have been, and was currently having a staring contest with the Infinity Stones, treating them as if they were disobedient puppies.

She took a step towards her daughter only to freeze in place as the Stones began to glow brighter. She watched as shapes started to form around each Stone, becoming more solid with each passing moment.

The first to finally take shape was the Time Stone- leaving a tall figure with blond hair, his body glowing the same shade green as the Stone. He glanced around, she felt his eyes briefly rest on her before they moved on, taking in each person and the destruction around him, before his eyes finally came to rest on her daughter.

"Only you Scarhead." he said with what seemed to be fond exasperation.

Author's Note:

The characters and worlds belong to their rightful owners and creators. I am not making any money off this- I only wanted to play in their sandboxes for a while.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this little story- it started as a two shot and it just keeps growing.

Please let me know what you think!


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